By Susan Guillory
The buzzword these days is mobile marketing. With the number of people accessing the internet via a mobile device quickly surpassing those using a desktop, consumers are now relying on their phones in ways unprecedented.
So where does your company fit in? Certainly, there are ample opportunities to connect with customers via mobile marketing, if only you know where to look. Here are some ideas to explore.
Start with Email
More than half of all emails are opened on a mobile device. That means your emails need to be short, easy to scan, and mobile friendly. Keep in mind that large images may take longer to load on a device, so keep your images scaled and minimal.
People have shorter attention spans when they’re on their phones, too, which is why keeping the content short and sweet will serve you better. And make sure that any links you include in the email take the subscriber to a mobile-friendly website.
Consider Building a Mobile App
While not every small business benefits from having a mobile app, some do. If you run a restaurant, retail, or ecommerce store, a mobile app can serve to drive traffic to your store, whether it’s digital or brick-and-mortar. One of the big perks of having a mobile app is that you can then send push notifications to users, which can get as much as an 80% open rate. Constantly staying in front of your audience with relevant offers is key for boosting sales.
Just be sure that the app serves a purpose beyond simply providing store hours and directions. In order to entice app users to actually buy from you, you’ll need a robust campaign of promotions and offers, targeted and carefully timed for maximum results.
Mobile Wallet
If you’re not ready to dive into having an app developed for your brand, mobile wallet could be a good entry into the world of mobile marketing. Apple Pay and Android Pay are two rising mobile applications that allow users to save credit card information, as well as offers from retailers. So rather than having your own app, you’d piggyback on these two apps that more and more people are downloading.
You have the option to send push notifications with special offers that users can save to their wallets. You can even send reminders as the offer deadline approaches, or update the offer with something new whenever you want.
While some of these mobile marketing strategies require more investment than others, they also have a major payoff. Mobile is a part of our world, and it’s not going anywhere. Make sure you’re doing your part to leverage it.
